Loonakids: Special is One Word
by MileyLoonaticsFan96
Summary: Just when they thought their secrets actually wouldn't get in the way of them having normal lives, Kelly and the kids are exposed to the after effects of their secret identities. There's only one way to fix this mess...and it might not end so well... Sequel to "Too Much at Once"
1. Chapter 1

Loonakids: Special is One Word…

(Eerie music) I'm back! :) Well, this one is average size, but it will have a special addition at the end...you'll see. Well, enough out of me already. Read, review, enjoy!

Chapter 1

**There are mini-Loonakids on the coffee table, dressed as mouseketeers and dancing.**

_**All: A Loonakids story here once more  
**__**Jack: Do-da  
**__**Do-da  
**__**All: You won't believe what is in store  
**__**Jack: Oh, da-do-da-day  
**__**Kelly, Sarah, and Nadine: Secrets and romance  
**__**Jack: I'll even do a dance**_

**Jack starts break-dancing.**

**"JACK!" the other eight kids snap.**

**Jack stops dancing. "Sorry."**

_**All: We'll be here to help you through  
**__**Jack: Do-da  
**__**Do-da  
**__**Me, the dorks, and the girls, too  
**__**Jack, Nadine, Lucy, Kelly, and Sarah: Oh, da-do-da-day  
**__**Ryan: Don't call us dorks  
**_**_Benny: He's mad 'cause we're in love _(snuggles Sarah)  
**_**Jack: I was mad but now I'm glad  
**__**To give this friendly shove**_

**Jack shoves Ryan and Benny.**

**"Hey! Don't shove him!" Sarah snaps.**

**The guys get into a claw fight.**

**"Are just gonna let him shove you like that?" Nadine asks.**

Nadine walked into the living room and saw Lexi sitting on the couch, listening to music and reading a magazine. Nadine sighed and dropped a pile of clothes on the couch next to Lexi.

Lexi noticed this, took out her earphones, put down the magazine, and looked at her eldest daughter, who was dressed in a sort of music-themed outfit (music note headband and matching flip-flops, mini-skirt with a sheet music design and scattered lyrics embroidered around the hem, and a guitar tee).

"Can you help me here? When we applied to Acme Tech, I applied for the fashion role and I need your opinion on some of these outfits—"

"Wait a minute, Acme Tech has a fashion role?"

Ryan walked up. "They have stuff for everything. Jack is the only one who didn't apply…and he didn't apply anywhere. Nadine's headed for design, Benny's going for criminal psychology which could come in handy for the way we work, Lucy's going at botany, Robert's in for photography, Kelly's aiming to be a technician or a vet or something _and_ a musician, I'm gonna be a writer and an inventor, Sarah's shooting for cook and music coach, and Mike's trying to go into zoology and…if I understood right, something about a comic book."

"So only the coyote kids are aiming for two different things?" asked Sophie.

"Pretty much."

"Wow."

Tech came up to them. "Speaking of the coyote kids, where's Kelly?"

Ryan looked at the clock. "Well, it's been a half hour since sunset and she's not in the tower. I'd say she's out at the graveyard making out with Austin."

"Oh, come on," said Nadine, "If Kelly's on patrol with Austin, she'll be professional about it."

Ironically, that's the exact opposite of what she was doing. They were leaning against a headstone, kissing like crazy.

Kelly finally let go. "Maybe we should get back to work."

"Totally." He kissed her one last time and then they finally stopped. "So, you were saying something?"

"Right, venting about college. Well, I'm glad that I'm finally about to graduate high school and all, get that out of the way. But I'm worried that I'm not gonna get accepted to college and—"

"You don't have to worry about that. You're smart, you're talented…you're beautiful."

"I don't see how that applies to what we were just talking about, but OK."

Austin smiled.

"You should do that more often."

"Compliment you?"

"Smile."

Austin smiled again.

"But I guess you're right. I mean, the only real blemishes on my academic record are all the tardy and absent days I got because of missions and that C I got on the Home Ec. assignment of keeping a bag of a sugar and treating it like a kid. I mean, sure, I wanna have kids some day, but…"

"Well, I wouldn't know anything about that."

"What do you mean?"

"I…I can't…"

Kelly understood what he meant. "Oh. Right. I get it. I mean, I knew there was a lot of things you guys couldn't do, like get a tan or eat Italian or make baby Vampires."

"Well, actually, the garlic thing is kind of a myth. But other than that, you're dead-on."

Kelly smiled. "OK, now, where were we?"

"I think I remember." She dropped into his arms as they leaned in to kiss again…and then Austin saw something coming out of the ground not that far away. "Vampire!" He dropped her.

Kelly got up. "I'm OK! Let's just slay the guy…" She then saw another Vampire rising. "…s." They went to fighting. Kelly smacked her Vamp in the face to knock him back…into Austin. "Sorry, honey!"

Austin got up. "That's OK!" He grabbed the Vamps and slammed them into a headstone. "Stake!" She threw her stake at him. He caught it perfectly and staked both Vamps.

"Now back on topic: I mean, obviously, we're gonna be stuck with each other for a while, but if we can't have kids and we're likely to die every time we turn a corner, are we still gonna be just making out in a graveyard when I'm 50 and you're…the same age you are now?"

They then noticed a gravestone rattling.

"Let's just get you to 50," Austin said.

"On it."

They ran off. They stopped once they were in the streets.

Kelly tried to regain her breath (as opposed to Austin, who wasn't breathing at all). "Alright, we're good. We're fine. Nothing wrong."

"Completely."

"Are we gonna kiss _now_?"

"I hope so."

They kissed.

Unfortunately, about then a semi-group of paparazzi started their weekly hound on Kelly.

"Hey! Shoo! Shoo, fly, don't bother me!" Kelly went to chase them off. "Don't make me…" She grabbed a guy's camera and snapped it in half.

The other paparazzi looked at each other and raced off with their pictures.

Kelly dropped the camera and looked at Austin. "Tell me the picture thing is a myth, too."

Austin just looked at her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Loonakids were headed out for a mission the next morning.

**As they pass over a street, the mini-Loonakids are there now dressed like robots.**

_**All: Austin's "back in the band"  
**__**But now things got out of hand  
**__**He gave Kelly a kiss  
**__**Something the world didn't miss  
**_**_In _Life**

**Ryan walks forward to do a Jay Leno impression: "Kelly Coyote was getting frozen yogurt the other day—did you hear about this? Did you hear about this?—and when asked why she wanted both chocolate and vanilla, she said she wanted the best of both _swirls_. Did you hear about this?"**

**Michael pulls him back into the line.**

_**Michael: Now Kelly and Austin can't date  
**__**Sarah: Is that a problem?  
**__**Kelly: Just wait  
**__**Ryan: Who cares? My Leno was great  
**_**_Jack: _(looks at Nadine)_ This is the guy that you date  
_**_**So sad**_

**Nadine looks at him back.**

Sarah looked at Kelly as they headed for the battle scene. "What's wrong?"

Kelly held up her cell phone.

Sarah took it and looked at it. It was showing the cover of the latest issue of _Life_ (you know, like the mini-Loonatics were just talking about—yes, the magazine is still going on) with a picture of Kelly and Austin together labeled _Acmetropolis' New Sweethearts_. "Uh oh."

"Yeah."

Ryan took it and looked at it. "I thought Vampires didn't show up in pictures."

Kelly glared at him and took the phone back. "Apparently, that and the garlic thing are myths. But I'm more concerned about my relationship getting in the way of our secret identities."

"It's not that bad," said Nadine, "I mean, you can still go out with Austin as a Loonakid, you just can't do it in public."

Kelly sighed. "Why do our lives have to be so complicated?"

"That's why," said Benny, pointing at a giant squid monster.

"Oh, yeah," said Kelly.

"OK, let the battle begin," said Lucy, aiming her plants for the tentacles.

After a few minutes of fighting, Kelly was smacked onto the sidewalk by one of the tentacles. Luckily, her jet pack and her half-Vampire agility enabled her to land gracefully on her feet…by Austin. "Hey."

"Hey," Austin said, walking closer (it was a cloudy day).

"Alright, look, we need to talk—"

A guy walked up to Austin. "Hey! You're that dude dating Kelly Coyote!"

Austin looked at him. "Yeah. Saw it in _Life_."

The guy walked off.

Kelly looked at her uniform and then at the small crowd of people scattered on the sidewalks. "OK, did you want something? CASUAL ACQUAINTANCE AND PLATONIC FRIEND!"

Sarah looked at her. "Subtle." She went back to the fight.

"I have to tell you something," Austin told Kelly.

"What is it? AFOREMENTIONED, CASUAL ACQUAINTANCE AND PLATONIC FRIEND!"

"_ Overkill! _" Sarah added in a singsong tone. She looked at the squid. "Speaking of which…" She went back to the fight.

Kelly turned back to Austin.

Austin sighed. "I found a bloodstone. If I can get it to work, I'll be able to get in the sunlight for the rest of the year."

"Austin, that's great!" She instantly dove to hug him.

Nadine saw this. "Kelly!" she hissed, so low that only Kelly's half-Vampire ears could hear it.

"Nuts." Kelly let go.

"It's OK," said Austin, "I don't think anyone noticed."

The guy walked back over. "Dude. One at a time, bro."

_The next night…_

Benny walked in from patrol. "Well, no bad guys or anything, but, uh…" He dropped a magazine on the table.

Kelly grabbed it and her eyes widened.

It was a picture of her and Austin hugging. "_Kelly's New Boyfriend Caught Cheating_"

"Oh, great."

Sarah looked at it. "You're telling me. Our 13-year-old cousin in Acme New Hampshire reads _Life_."

Kelly looked at her and then turned back to Austin. "If it makes you feel any better, both singer and Loonakid Kelly love their cheater."

"Well, I'm glad you think this is funny," Austin glared.

"Oh, come on, Austin, I know this is my fault but…"

Nothing.

"OK, this is where you say 'No, it's not your fault, honey, we're in this together.' Let me try it again. Austin, I know it's my fault but…"

He just looked at her.

"Your turn. Doesn't have to be 'honey', could be—"

"Kelly—"

"Oh, come on, you can do better than that!"

"Kelly, I'm serious. Everybody's now thinking of me as a great big jerk that broke Kelly Coyote's heart."

"Oh, come on, 'everybody'? Don't you think that's a little dramatic?"

"Actually," Ryan jumped in, on his laptop, "I just logged onto the message boards and there's at least 100 comments about this, the worst of which is surprisingly from a six-year-old."

Kelly read it. "'This creep is a big fat, stinking'—WHOA! How does she know that word?!"

"And now she's taught her grandma how to log on and comment."

"Probably just to say that she shouldn't overreact about—YOW! Now we know where the little girl got the sailor mouth." She turned to Austin. "But, I mean, you should've known that dating me was gonna be a pain in the…well, I'm not that six-year-old's grandma, so I'm just gonna say 'complicated.' Dating me would be a pain in the complicated. But I'm worth it…right?" She turned to her family. "I am worth it, aren't I?" No one said anything. She turned back to Austin. "OK, again, this is where you say—"

"WHAT?!" Austin demanded, "What do I say? And to which one of you? 'Cause now that you're living two lives, if I'm dating Kelly the singer, I'm cheating on Kelly the Loonakid. And if I'm dating Kelly the Loonakid, than I the 'big fat stinking jerk' that broke the singer's heart. Either way I'm just—"

Ryan's laptop rang. "And that's our 13-year-old cousin from Acme New Hampshire."

Sophie read it. "Well, if you guys get married, she's not babysitting the triplets." They all looked at her. "What? I have very specific fortune cookies."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Austin walked off.

Kelly followed him. "Look, sometimes my mom can be a…pain in the complicated."

He looked at her, not giving her the usual "just for Kelly" smile. "Would you stop joking about this?"

"Well, sometimes, joking about it is how I get through it. I know we just stepped into this whole double life thing but it's still technically been my life for seven years. Come on, let's go get some pizza and a movie, alone, let's just go." She started to drag him down the stairs.

He stopped her. "Pizza and a movie alone is not gonna fix this."

"You're right…ice cream and bowling and we'll bring the others! Come on—"

"No! Look, Kelly…maybe you can deal with this but…"

"Please don't say it."

He looked at her, sadly. "…I can't."

"So what? You're just gonna walk away from us?"

"As long as there's two of you, I don't think there can be an us." He kissed her one last time and walked off.

Kelly stared after him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kelly was having breakfast the next morning. Everyone else was there except for Sarah (who was getting the mail). "Man, I really thought Austin was different. I thought that he, of all people, the brooding Vampire, could handle all this."

"You've just gotta give it some time, Kelly," Tech said, sitting down next to her, "If he really loves you, he'll come back. If he really loves that pretty boy face of his, he won't be."

Kelly glared at him. "Dad…"

"I'm sorry. I just hate seeing you hurt like this."

Sophie sat down on the other side of her daughter. "He's right, though, you know. If he comes back, that's great. But—even though I know you probably don't wanna hear this—if not, there'll be other boys."

"I keep praying there won't be, but there always are," Tech muttered.

Kelly looked at him. "I heard that."

He looked at her.

"And I'm not sure. After this, maybe I should just give up guys for good."

"Oh, now you're just teasing me." She looked at him. "OK, different approach: not for good, just until I'm dead…again."

Kelly smiled.

"The truth is," said Daniella, across the table, "life has a funny way of working things out. One door closes, another one opens."

"Yup," said Tech, "but all you've gotta be ready to tell yourself is—"

Sarah then rushed in, screaming as loud as she could without using her power.

"—when you're married and already have one kid and your spouse wants to have more, think about it for more than a second."

Sarah started squealing again, jumped onto the couch, jumped up in an excited bunny hop, and jumped over the couch to the table.

"And then say 'no.'"

Kelly smiled.

The kids gathered together.

"Is it…" Nadine started to ask.

"The Acme Tech acceptance letters!" Sarah said.

All the girls joined together and started jumping and shrieking "Yay!"

Nadine and Lucy turned to the guys.

"Why aren't you jumping?" asked Nadine.

"Why aren't you 'yay-ing'?" asked Lucy.

"Why aren't you jumping and 'yay-ing'?"

Lucy stopped. "Seriously, why aren't you happy-dancing?"

Ryan took the letters. "Because we don't know if we really got accepted yet…and guys don't 'happy dance'."

Tech smiled. "Doesn't matter. See that, Kelly? You already forgot about Austin."

Kelly stopped smiling entirely. "AUSTIN!" She sat down next to Sophie, buried her head in her chest, and started crying.

"Oh, Kelly, I'm sorry, I just—"

Wendy stopped him. "Zip it!" He looked at her. "I'm sorry, it's just that…sometimes, you—"

"—have a tendency to be a big, dumb daddy?"

"Now, I would never say that because you're married to my sister. But since you said it, oh, yeah."

Sarah picked up Kelly from the chair. "Listen, Kelly, Aus—that guy Dad just mentioned is your past and these letters are your future!"

"I guess you're right."

"Of course, I'm right!"

"OK," said Benny, handing out the letters, "we start a chain reaction—oldest to youngest—on three. And I mean '1, 2, 3!' Not '1, 2, 3, GO!'"

"Good thing we cleared that up," said Nadine, preparing to open her letter, "OK, 1…2…3!" She opened her letter. "I got in!"

Benny opened his. "I got in, too!"

Lucy opened hers. "This must be a family thing! I got in! Group hug!" They did.

Robert opened his. "Make some room! I got in, too!" Lucy pulled him in. "I was making a joke, but OK." He hugged her.

"Boy, am I glad I didn't apply," said Jack.

Kelly smiled. "You didn't apply anywhere." She pulled out the letter…and her smile slowly faded… "I didn't get in." Everyone looked at her.

Ryan opened his. "Yeah, me neither."

Sarah opened hers and shook her head.

Michael opened his. "No."

"Wow," said Wendy, "I actually kind of find it hard to believe that Tech's kids, of all people, are the ones that _didn't_ get into—wait a minute, Ryan, yours says you got accepted."

Ryan hid his letter behind his back. "No, it doesn't!"

"Yes, it does." Wendy checked Sarah and Michael's. "Theirs say it, too!"

"No, they don't, that's crazy!" Sarah denied, getting ready to tear up her letter behind her back.

Michael started moving his around. "How can you read it? It's just moving all over the place!"

Kelly snatched them all. "Let me see those." She read them…and confirmed Wendy's story.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said, "It's just…we don't know how much more bad news you can take. I mean, you just found out you don't get to go to college with your best friends right after you get dumped by the best boyfriend you've ever had…" She then noticed Kelly glaring at her. "…and now you've got an eye twitch."

Kelly groaned. "But my grades were perfect! I killed on the SATs! This isn't fair!"

"I know," said Lucy, "I guess that stuff just wasn't important to Austin."

Kelly glared at her, resisting the urge to Vamp and bite her. "And Acme Tech accepted you?!"

"Lucy!" Tech hissed, "Stand extremely still and don't let her sense your fear!"

Lucy looked at Kelly.

Kelly kept glaring…

_A couple hours later…_

…just like she did to the admissions lady at Acme Tech. "There's got to be some kind of mistake! All eight of us have pretty much the same grades—except for me and Ryan, who have slightly higher—and I was only the worst grade on the SATs by one point, and that's just because I had to go to the bathroom twice and my friends can hold it like camels!"

"I must say, Ms. Coyote," said the admissions lady, "the fact that you drove 200 miles to plead your case is very impressive. It shows great determination and that's one of the qualities we really look for here at Acme T."

Kelly smiled.

"We're gonna be very sad not having you here. Cookie?"

Kelly groaned. "This isn't fair! I'm being discriminated against because I have a small bladder! And lady, we are not a group you want picketing in your lobby!"

"Listen, Kelly, the difference between you and your friends isn't academic…or fluid-related…it's just that…" She picked up a folder. "Nadine was in the sewing club for five years and was a cheerleader…" She picked up another. "…Benny was in a karate class…" Another folder. "…Lucy was in gardening club and the skateboard club and the poetry club and the volleyball team…Robert was in the surf club and the photography club…Ryan was in the tech club and the book club and the gaming club…Sarah was in the glee club and the cooking club…and Michael was a volunteer at an animal shelter." She then picked up Kelly's folder. "And you…were a tricycle-riding pirate mascot for half a basketball game…and then in 12th grade, you climbed a rope."

"In a record time of five seconds, and that sucker went all the way up to the 20-foot-high ceiling."

"Yes, I believe you mentioned that in your essay: _To the Ceiling and Back; A Girl, a Rope, and a Dream_."

"Which was exactly the required 500 words while Lucy's was 502 and Michael's was 503 and Ryan's was 505, Benny's 504, Nadine's 501, Robert's 498, and Sarah's 497. I'm just saying, rule follower, rule breakers."

The admissions lady sighed and started to lead her out. "Listen, Kelly, you are an excellent student…but you don't have any extracurricular activities. And here at Acme Tech, we're looking for applicants with a skosh more."

"You mean my album didn't show up in your records?"

"What are you talking about?"

Kelly sighed, realizing that her album must have just been a big seller locally. "OK, new technique…" She got down on her knees and grabbed the admissions lady's leg. "Please! Please! You've gotta let me in! This is the only school I applied to!"

"This is the only school you applied to?"

"OK, now on one hand, that could sound incredibly dumb. But on the other hand, it could be an admirable display of school spirit! It doesn't show up on a test, but, lady, at a pep rally, I'll skosh you up one side and down the other. Go AT! Whoo-hoo! Uh-uh! Whoo-hoo! Hey!" She then realized that the lady wasn't following her and slowly stopped.

"Please, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but…just tell me something you've done in the last four years that's been the least bit out of the ordinary."

"Are you kidding? The last four years of my life have been anything _but_ ordinary!"

"Wonderful! How?"

"I…I can't tell you."

"Then we can't reconsider your application."

"But if I could tell you, you'd be all like 'nuh-uh' and I'd be like 'yeah-huh' and you'd be all 'no way' and I'd be like 'yeah way!' Please!" The admissions lady showed her out. "I never even got a cookie!" She walked off.

**As she walks off, she passes the mini-Loonakids, who are standing on a piano, Sarah dressed extravagantly, the guys dressed in show-boy costumes, and the other girls in backup.**

_**Sarah: If you're wondering what she'll do  
**__**Now that her plans have fallen through  
**__**And you know she's got a real strong will  
**__**And she's got a lots more show to fill  
**__**Now she's going, going back to the tower, ooh  
**__**Guys: We kind of thought we'd be singing, too  
**__**Ryan: Instead, we're stuck in her chorus line  
**__**Kelly: 'Cause your agent's not as good as mine  
**__**Jack: Wait, wait, if Kelly leaves, we have no ride…**_

**They all stop singing, exchange looks, and then race off.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sarah was cooking and the others were assembled in the living room waiting for Kelly to come back.

"Hey, Kelly," said Nadine on speaker phone, "where are you?"

Kelly was driving the shuttle. "I'm pulling in. I'll be up in a second." She pulled over.

"I know you're upset," said Sarah, "So I'm making your favorite: mac-n-cheese and bacon!"

"That's _your_ favorite, Sarah!"

Sarah covered the phone. "Yeah, but she's so upset, it's not gonna make a difference anyway. This way, at least one of us will be happy."

Nadine glared at her.

"I heard that!" Kelly snapped.

Sarah processed this. "Hey, you're not supposed to be talking while you're driving!"

"Well, excuse me if I'm upset that the only reason I didn't get into the college of our dreams/my dad's alma mater is because I was so busy recording a top-selling record and saving the world from multiple bad guys and apocalypses _and_ dealing with the transformation into a half blood-sucking demon whose boyfriend is a full one INSTEAD OF HOLDING A SPIT BUCKET FOR THE GIRLS' WRESTLING TEAM!" She snatched the phone and slammed the shuttle door shut.

Ryan took the phone. "Look, I've given this a lot of thought: what if you said you were the Loonakids' technological assistant? That way, you look smart and you still did all that stuff—just as an assistant."

Kelly walked in, holding the phone and giving him her death glare.

Ryan looked at her.

"You couldn't have thought of that 200 MILES AGO?!"

Ryan forced out a nervous smile and handed Nadine her phone back.

_Halfway to Acme Tech…_

Kelly was as bored as ever as she drove down the highway.

**The mini-Loonakids were in the backseat, now as country critters.**

_**All: In the car again  
**__**Kelly's driving back in the car again  
**__**Going places she has already been  
**__**Kelly's driving back to school again  
**__**Yee-haw!**_

Kelly turned the channel on the radio…and a guy in a suit appeared in the passenger seat.

"Today our topic is heartbreak and disappointment."

Kelly started looking back and forth between the guy and the road.

"Who out there has lost a boyfriend recently? Or a good friend? Or maybe didn't get into the college they wanted to—"

"Oh boy." Kelly turned off the radio.

"Nice try, honey."

Kelly looked at him.

"I am a physical manifestation of your overstressed subconscious. And I'm with you for the next 200 miles."

Kelly groaned, gripping the wheel.

"So you're a mess. Let's start from there."

Kelly slammed her head on the horn.

_At the admissions office…_

The admissions lady was sitting down next to Kelly. "The Loonakids' technological assistant? Well, that was certainly something to put in your essay."

"They like me to keep it low-profile since they're a secret organization. And the silver coyote's even prettier in person."

"I must say, this could change everything."

"Yes! Oh, can I have your sandwich? I've been driving all day."

"Please do."

Kelly took the sandwich and started eating.

"Now, we're just gonna need some proof of employment…"

"Some what?!" Kelly asked through a full mouth.

"Some pay stubs, tax records, just something I can submit to the board."

"I don't get paid!"

The admissions lady handed her a napkin. "Is proving this gonna be a problem?"

Kelly shook her head and took the napkin. "Of course not." She spit out her bite of the sandwich.

_Back at the tower…_

Lucy was writing something. She didn't care if her poems ever got published, but it was fun to write them.

Then, of course, halfway through Sarah's baking process, Kelly came in, growling. She snatched a bottle of pigs' blood from the fridge, drank it, and squeezed the glass till it broke.

Wendy looked at her. "So how'd it go?"

"Stupid proof of employment." She slammed her bag on the couch. "Tax stuff." She stormed down the hall. "No cookie! Drove 200 miles just to say that…" She slammed the door to the conference room.

_Five minutes later…_

Kelly walked out in her uniform, still muttering, angrily and incessantly. "You want proof, cookie lady? I'll show you proof!"

Wendy looked at her. "Why didn't you just hit the button on your watch?"

Kelly slowly turned to glare at her, growling harder.

Wendy cowered.

"Because I FORGOT!" Kelly slammed the door shut and stormed down the stairs.

Wendy clawed at the air, imitating a cat's meow.

_At Acme Tech…_

Kelly walked into the admissions office in her uniform. The admissions lady was just getting ready to close up. Kelly quickly got out her phone and closed the door. "Yes, Kelly. The directions you gave me were perfect as usual. Now if I could just find that pretty little admissions lady you told me about…" She looked at the admissions lady, who was smiling back at her. "Oh, wait! There she is! Love you. Gotta go." She hung up. "Hi." She pointed to her phone. "Kelly Coyote. Best tech assistant any superhero team has ever had."

"Oh, my, it's really you. I thought she was just one of those desperate types who would say or do anything to get in." Kelly stopped smiling. "I mean, she did this…bizarre…'AT, woo!' thing that was, well, oh, borderline creepy."

Kelly looked at her. "I'll pass it on. Kid loves constructive criticism and she's an avid reader. Now if you could just give me that orientation package, I'll take it with me to help save you the postage."

"Uh…I…"

"Oh, it's OK! Just my way of contributing to higher education! But I will need a receipt for tax purposes."

"It's not that. It's just that…apparently, Kelly misunderstood me. I didn't say this would get her in, I said we'd reconsider. But even if she does get accepted, she goes to the end of the waiting list."

Kelly started glaring again. "The-the-the-the waiting list?!"

"I'm sorry. It's just that…the information came a little late. And we weren't able to find out about her album until after she left a few hours ago and it's just a local best-seller, which isn't a huge achievement. You see, the board only makes exceptions in rare cases—like, for example, if you were applying."

Kelly looked at her. "Me?"

"Yes! Having someone of you and your team's accomplishments at our school would be a wonderful addition to the university."

"So I could get in no problem…" Kelly started smiling, a plan forming in her head.

"Well, assuming you had Kelly's grades and SAT scores."

Kelly stopped smiling. Now she couldn't use her plan! "Wait a second, let me see if I understand what you're getting at here: if Kelly and I were somehow, I don't know…smashed into the same person…we could get in?"

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess you would."

Kelly started glaring again.

"Unfortunately, that's not the case, although, you do have the same…eye twitch."

Kelly covered her eye. "That's not the only thing we have in common. The truth is…" She took her hand down. "…Kelly and I are…" She moved her finger towards the button on her watch. "…the same…" She sighed and slowly started to curl her finger back up and pull her hand away from her watch. "…zodiac sign. Sagittarius, so we're the fire sign with the over-excitable eyelids. Bye." She walked out.

**As she leaves, she passes the mini-Loonakids, who are now dressed as cats.**

_**All: Problems  
**__**She's got nothing but problems  
**__**If she came clean  
**__**All the problems would just go away  
**__**Or would they**_

**Ryan started choking as if on a hairball.**

_**Just begin…?**_

**A giant ball of yarn rolled by. They all raced after it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sarah was pacing while Michael was eating from her pan. "She's gonna be home any minute and I don't know what to say to make her feel better."

"I know," said Michael between bites, "It's terrible."

Sarah then noticed him devouring the pan. "And I thought it was _my_ favorite. You're scraping the crusty bits off the sides now?"

Michael looked at her. "I'm…an emotional eater."

"Hold on a second!" Lucy took the pan. "OK, Sarah made three batches and the recipe said that one serves 12. So she made 36 servings. We each had one…Gabby, TJ, and Polly each had a third…Buddy, Penny, Oliver, and Virginia each had a quarter…Dakota and Rebekka both had halves…Slam had two extra then dropped one on the floor…Sarah had four extra…" She started thinking. "That means you had ten servings!"

Michael snatched the pan back. "Well, excuse me, Little Miss Solve-Your-Fancy-Math-Problems-I-Got-Into-Acme-Tech-and-Your-Sister-Didn't!"

Lucy gasped. "You lashed out at me!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." He handed her the pan back. "Here."

She looked at him. "Like I would want that."

"Fine. Why do we foolishly believe food can make the pain go away?"

"I didn't have that problem," Ryan corrected, "You're just part bear."

Michael glared at him.

"It's OK!" Nadine said, "We're jumping at each other because we feel helpless since there's nothing we can do. Although, frankly, that's a little bit more you than me."

Michael turned to her. "Well, I don't seem to recall my sister throwing macaroni fractions in your face!"

"Oh, is that it?" asked Lucy, "Do you wanna go? That's how it's gonna be?!"

They all eight got into a heated argument.

"You are so obnoxious!" Benny snapped at Jack.

"Hey!" Ryan snapped, getting out of his chair, "Don't make me stand up!"

Sarah was snapping at Michael. "I can't hear you with that in your…" Kelly walked in. "Hi."

"Hey," Kelly said, throwing her stuff onto the couch.

"How you doing?" Tech asked.

"I'm miserable. Not only did I not get into Acme Tech after all this time and got stuck at the bottom of the waiting list, but I'm so hungry that the only thing that got me through the last 100 miles was thinking about scooping up that mac-n-cheese and bacon." She sat at the table by the covered pan.

Sarah, panicking, looked at them. "She normally doesn't eat it."

Kelly took the cloth off of the pan. "You ate it all?!"

"Yes…" Nadine started, "but Slam dropped some on the floor and I threw it out but it's right on top of the trash can—"

"Slam ate that, too," Wendy corrected.

Kelly got out of her seat. "This is the worst day of my life! I lost my boyfriend, I don't get to go to the college of my dreams with my siblings and cousin and best friends, I'm gonna be stuck at Acme Community College all year, and now I'm having to go the whole day without eating anything because I was driving up and down three times just to get put on the waiting list!" She dropped onto the couch and screamed in the pillows.

Tech sighed. "Don't worry, I'm gonna fix this. Step one: get you something to eat. What about an omelet? What do you want in it?"

Kelly sighed, fighting back tears. "My Austin! And an acceptance letter to Acme Tech!" She buried her face back in the pillow. Then she got back up. "And maybe some chives and sautéed mushrooms." Back into the pillows.

Nadine sighed. "I can't stand to see you like this." She finally sat down next to her. "That's it. I can't take it anymore. I am gonna do the right thing here and tell you exactly what you need to hear: you're not going to ACC alone."

Kelly sniffed. "You're right." She pulled her head up. "I'll be with Jack!" She started crying.

Nadine groaned. "NO! You're not gonna be with Jack—if he ever does go to college—you're gonna be with me."

Kelly got out of the pillows and looked at her. "What?"

"Yeah, if you're not going to AT till next year, then I'm not going to AT till next year."

"We're not going without you either," Sarah said, sitting down in a nearby chair. The others were all in agreement.

Kelly processed this turn of events. "But…it's your dream—"

"Yeah, but our dream is to go with _you_," Nadine said, "It's all of us or nothing, remember? We can do that next year."

"And look what you've done for us," said Ryan, "You helped us with school, on the missions—you saved our lives, for crying out loud! We can't repay you for that."

"True."

"That didn't require a response."

"Sorry."

Nadine sighed. "Look, the point is, I really wanna do this for you and we're obviously all in agreement, so please let us."

Kelly smiled. "You really are the best friends ever."

"I know."

Group hug.

"Oh, if grown men could only hug like teenage girls, there'd be no more wars," said Duck.

"_ Broken and lost, dying inside, you showed me the way, you showed me the light…_"

Kelly recognized her own songs. She just didn't recognize that voice… "Austin?" She pushed her friends aside, jumped up from the couch, and went to open the door.

"_…you opened my eyes…you…found…_"

Kelly opened the door. There was Austin.

"_…me. _"

Kelly smiled. "I didn't know you played guitar."

"Oh, I don't. It's yours." He handed it to her and took out a CD player. "I was playing the acoustics with this."

Tech sighed. "Singers, Vampires. Just once a kid who wants to be a doctor!"

Kelly smirked. "What changed your mind?"

"Well, I did some thinking." Austin closed the door. "Being with you, it's a real headache. It's hard, it's complicated, it's a lot of work!"

Kelly blinked. "OK, I'm starting to think the song outside my door was a little bit misleading—" She started to hand the guitar back.

Austin pushed it back. "Didn't let me finish. Being with you may be all that…but it's nothing compared to being without you."

Kelly smiled and they started to kiss…

Tech cleared his throat as loudly as possible.

Kelly pushed away. "Quick hug?"

Austin nodded.

They hugged and parted as fast as they could.

"So you're really ready for all this?" asked Kelly, putting down the guitar.

"This whole time. I just didn't know it. Now don't I owe you pizza and a movie?" Kelly smiled again. "I mean, if you're hungry—"

"Are you kidding? Right now, I'm torn between having Dad turn his back so we can kiss and checking your shoe to see if you stepped in a donut."

Austin checked his foot.

"Just give me a little while to change."

"What-What about me?!" Tech called after her.

"Sorry, Dad! Love you, but I gotta go!"

"Oh, sure! Pizza boyfriend beats the omelet dad every time!"

Kelly came back and hugged him. "Love you." She ran off again. As soon as she was far enough down the hall to be out of earshot of them all, she started silently squealing and then ran into her room.

**As she passes her room, she passes a bag of dog food for Archer with a country style. The mini-Loonakids are in the stagecoach.**

_**Nadine: She's got her guy  
**__**Benny: Her best friends, too  
**__**Lucy: It seems so great  
**__**Robert: That can't be true  
**__**Jack: We've still got lots more show to do  
**__**Ryan: Wash your hands to prevent the flu**_

**They stop riding the stagecoach and look at him.**

**"What? It rhymes and it's a good message for the kids."**

**They go back to riding.**

_**Kelly: You won't believe what happens next  
**__**Sarah: It twists and turns and gets complex  
**__**Michael: It's fun, it's sad, it's something new  
**__**Sarah: My legs are sore!  
**__**Michael: My tail is, too!**_

**They all start groaning as the stagecoach speeds up.**

Kelly came out of her closet, her uniform traded for her usual outfit (flowing burgundy top, embroidered denim mini-skirt, and cowgirl boots). She was humming to the tune of her song. "_ I got my guy, my best friends, a pizza, gonna get a deep-dish with extra cheese, uh-huh… _" She stopped humming and looked in the mirror. No reflection. "Oh, well. After all this, I wouldn't be surprised if I were looking a little tired, but I'm half-dead anyway so what the hey." She started gathering her stuff.

"Pretty much getting everything you want, aren't you?"

"Yes, I—huh?" Kelly whirled around and saw an image in the mirror of her in her uniform. She looked closer.

Reflection Kelly crossed her arms. "Pretty freaky, ain't it?"

"Oh, boy."

"Man, I can't believe you're about to try to solve all of your problems by letting your friends make all the sacrifices for you."

"I didn't make them do anything, they did it on their own."

"Oh, sure. I'm positive your best friends wanna give up the college of their dreams for you."

"Oh, come on, it's just for this year. We're going together next year."

"If they all get in again and there's no guarantee that they will. And you know that really well."

"Keep it down. They'll hear you."

"I'm in your head! I CAN TALK AS LOUD AS I WANT TO!"

"Alright, alright. Man, I'm annoying sometimes."

"Tell me about it. And what about Austin? Do you really think he enjoys being despised by hundreds of people for breaking my heart?"

"Not like it matters, he's brooding all the time—Aha! You said 'my heart' and we have the same heart and I know it's not broken! What do I have to say to that?"

"I'll tell you what I have to say: if you let your friends go through with all this, sure, they seem OK now, but deep down inside, they're gonna hate you for it."

"Hallucination-brought-on-by-over-tiredness say what?"

"Don't you 'say what' me!"

"Oh, come on! My friends are never gonna hate me. So just poof back into my head where you belong!"

As Kelly walked off, the one in the mirror disappeared.

Kelly turned back to make sure she still had no reflection and she was right. She smiled and opened the door…to see the hallucination standing there.

"_ They're gonna hate you, they're gonna hate you. _"

"Oh, real mature."

"'Oh, real mature.'"

They started mimicking each other.

Kelly finally stopped. "I can_not_ believe I'm having this argument with myself!" She walked off as the hallucination disappeared again.

Meanwhile, Tech and Austin were looking at each other.

"So," Tech said, "have you ever thought about med school?" Austin looked at him. "Law school?" Nothing. "Any school?" Austin started to say something. "Of course not."

Daniella sighed. "Any records he'd have to get him into the school would've been from 200 years ago anyway."

"Point taken."

Kelly walked in. "Sorry I took so long."

"It's OK." Austin got up. _"Oh, I get it! I get it, your stupid secret always comes first!"_

Kelly blinked. "What?"

"I said it's OK. Ready to go?"

Kelly shook herself off. "Right. You guys wanna come with us?"

Nadine got up first. "Sure, sounds great." _"Pizza and a movie. That TOTALLY makes up for making us throw away the college of our dreams all because YOU wanted to keep this miserable, stinking secret!"_

"But you said you were OK with it," Kelly said.

Nadine thought about that. "I am. I just said I wanted to go, didn't I?"

"Right. Sorry. Kind of tired and hungry here."

"You're telling me," said Austin, "You must be starving." He led the others over to the door. _"And I can't wait to get ripped apart by an angry mob of fans."_

_"Yeah," said Sarah, "but who cares about us as long as Little Miss Center-of-the-Universe is happy?!"_

_"It's always about you!" Ryan snapped._

_"Always!"_

_"You!"_

_"YOU!"_

Kelly closed her eyes as these words echoed in her ears.

"So who's driving?" asked Nadine.

"WOULD YOU STOP IT?!"

Nadine looked at her.

"Come on, Nadine, why don't you just come out and say what you're really thinking?!"

"Well, I was thinking 'who's driving?' and now I'm thinking maybe _I should. _"

Kelly glared at her (not the death glare, just a glare). "I'm not talking about who's driving, I'm talking about this stinking secret! You all hate it and you hate what it's doing to our lives! Just admit it! Everything would be so much easier for everyone if I just came clean and told everyone who we were!"

Sophie sighed. "Kelly, no one said that—"

"But they're thinking it, Mom! Aren't you?!"

"Well…" Sarah started.

"Maybe a little," Ryan answered.

"But that's OK," Nadine said, "It's your life, we're just trying to make you happy."

Kelly scoffed. "Oh, sure. Be nice and guilt me into telling the secret. Well, I just can't do it! OK? I can't." She threw her stuff back on the couch and stormed off to her room.

Everyone exchanged some looks once she was gone.

**As Kelly passed through the hall, she passed the mini-Loonatics again, who are now dressed for show tunes.**

_**Kelly: A secret  
**__**Is causing problems  
**__**It's hurting  
**__**The kids and Austin  
**__**They wish that they could just come clean  
**__**Ooh-ooh  
**__**All: 'Cause now they're dying inside  
**__**Just waiting for the right time  
**__**To tell this secret  
**__**Things are going wrong 'cause they got a secret…**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(Clique Girlz' "Incredible" is playing)

Kelly was flipping through journals in her music room. She tossed it aside. She picked up a lyrics book and began reading it as she let the music play over her stereo.

…_Tell me why_

_Does it feel_

_So incredible_

_When the lights_

_Shine on me?_

_It's so beautiful…_

Tech knocked on the bookcase door and walked in.

Kelly glanced at him, then went back to reading her lyrics.

…_We've been searching for all our lives_

_For the love that you all provide_

_And you're all_

_That we need_

_You're incredible…_

Tech sat down next to Kelly. "Had quite a day, didn't you?"

"More like quite a week. Seem to be having more and more of those lately." Kelly closed her lyrics book and picked up a scrapbook. She showed him a picture of the team defeating a giant…something. "Man, look at us, Dad. That was one of our first missions ever. Having secret identities seemed like such a fun idea back then."

"That's because it was a great idea. We came up with the idea of secret identities to protect you kids when your mother died. But nothing stays the same forever. Sometimes, I guess it's better that a secret like that _doesn't_ get in your way."

"You telling me that we need to give up our secrets?"

"I could never do that, it's your decision as a group. But since you're the psychic, why don't you tell me?"

She looked at him sadly. "I don't know what to do, Dad."

He half-smiled.

"And please don't say listen to my heart."

"Kelly—"

"Or my spleen or my kidney or any other vital organs."

"Then what do you want me to tell you?"

"I want you to tell me that if we give up the secret that everything's gonna be OK."

"I can never tell you that. What I can tell you is that you'll get to go to that college together—except Jack." Kelly smiled. "You'll get to go out with Austin without pretty much the whole town hating him—of course, I'm still questionable." Kelly scoffed. "But you will have to give up your privacy because everywhere you go people are gonna see you and recognize you. And there's no definite to this one, but you may put us in danger as a family because the bad guys are gonna know who we are and how to catch us."

"Well, if there's no definite on that, then my powers can't tell me. So what do I do?"

"Only you can decide that. It's a risk, that's all it is."

Kelly sighed.

Tech walked out.

…_Tell me why_

_Does it feel_

_So incredible_

_When the lights_

_Shine on me?_

_It's so beautiful… _

Kelly turned off the stereo. She grabbed her guitar and zapped it and her pencil and lyrics book. She started walking around the room, letting the guitar play itself. "_ I always knew this day would come, we'd be standing one-by-one, with our future in our hands, so many dreams, so many plans…_" The guitar strummed a chord as she examined the piano. "_…I always knew after all these years, there'd be laughter, there'd be tears, but never thought I'd walk away with so much joy but so much pain, and it's so hard to say goodbye…_" She walked over to the drums. "_…but yesterday's gone…_" She smiled. "_…we've gotta keep moving on, I'm so thankful for the moments, so glad I got to know you…_" She crossed her arms, walking slowly along the wall. "_…the times that we had I'll keep like a photograph and hold you in my heart forever, I'll always remember you._" She started humming the song as she examined the violin she kept in the corner. "_Another chapter in the book, can't go back but you can look at the joy on every page, memories I'll always save, up ahead on the open doors, who knows what we're heading towards? I wish you love, I wish you luck, for you, the world just opens up, but it's so hard to say goodbye…_" She leaned over the bass. "_…but yesterday's gone, we've gotta keep moving on, I'm so thankful for the moments, so glad I got to know you…_" She checked the electric guitar (she was using acoustic). "_…the times that we had I'll keep like a photograph and hold you in my heart forever, I'll always remember you…_" She stood up and just started dancing. "_Every date that we had, all the good, all the bad, I'll keep them here inside, all the times that we shared, every place, everywhere, you touched my life, yeah, one day, we'll look back, we'll smile and we'll laugh, but right now we just cry, 'cause it's so hard to say goodbye…but yesterday's gone, we gotta keep moving on, I'm so thankful for the moments, so glad I got to know you! The times that we had I'll keep like a photograph and hold you in my heart forever, I'll always remember you! Na, na, na, na. Na, na, na, na. Na, na, na, na, na—I'll always remember…YOU! You… I'll always remember…_" She sat down by the piano, where the hallucination of her in her uniform was back. "_…you. _" She sighed, smiling. "Thank you." The hallucination smiled back and disappeared.

_That afternoon…_

The team was on another mission. They were one step away from defeating a…giant…bear…something. All they had to do was mix Robert and Ryan's powers to electrocute it. Before they could do that, the bear something knocked Kelly onto the sidewalk.

Kelly got up. "I'm OK!"

"You're always OK, aren't you?"

Kelly turned around and saw Austin standing in an alleyway. "Hiding from the sunlight since the bloodstone didn't work or hiding from the screaming fans?"

"A little bit of both."

"We do kill this bear thing by electrocuting it, right?"

"Right. I better go." Austin started to run off.

Kelly stopped him. "You know I love you. But this is kind of complicated…not to mention you've never told me you love me back."

"Well, that's a little more complicated…"

Kelly half-smiled at him. She let go of his arm.

"Look, I—" A tin can hit him in the face. "Ow!"

Kelly whirled around and saw a little blonde girl throwing cans at him. "What are you hitting him for? The bear thing's the bad guy!"

The girl threw another can at the bear…and it bounced off and knocked Austin.

"OK, that was actually pretty impressive."

"Hey!" Austin snapped.

"Sorry. You better run."

"On it." Austin left.

Kelly looked at the girl, who walked off. Kelly sighed, crossing her arms. "_ Broken and lost, dying inside, you showed me the way, you showed me the light…_" She did the twirling move that belonged in that line. "_…you opened my eyes…you found me. _"

The little girl raced up to her. "It's you! You're Kelly Coyote!"

Kelly started shushing her. Too late. As soon as she noticed a few extra people coming up, she started panicking. Then she thought about it… _This is it. It's too late to go back now. I have to take that risk. It's time to tell everyone who we are._ She sighed. She moved her hand to her wrist…and pushed the button on her watch…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The rest of the team saw it. Kelly had revealed the secret, she had no choice.

Ryan smiled…and effortlessly combined his powers with Robert enough to zap the bear thing without looking.

The team came up to Kelly, taking off their uniforms as well.

"You actually did it!" Sarah said.

"It was my idea to keep this stinking secret," said Kelly, "I figured I might as well be the one to reveal it."

Nadine smiled. "Then why don't you do what both Kelly's do best?"

"Ice-skate?"

"Sing!" She pushed her to the end of the walk.

Kelly thought about this. She smiled and got an idea. "Guitar." Ryan went into the alley and zapped one up, tossing it to her. She started playing the song she knew was perfect for their situation: "Don't Judge a Book by the Cover" by Tiffany Alvord. "_ When I told you_ _I didn't need you_, _that's when_ _I needed you the most, but you weren't there, so I'll just cry myself to sleep, just shaking and in pain, 'cause I'm so weak, and I tried to tell you, but you didn't listen, so now, with tears in my eyes, as I lay here in bed, now I know, that the book is different from another I read, don't judge a book by the cover, otherwise, you might go under, you don't know what you're getting into, oh-oh-oh, don't judge a book by the cover, otherwise, you might discover, everything is different than you expected, so listen to what your heart says. The inside is different from the outside's truth, it keeps changing so what's the excuse? It should stay the same, depressed and broken, everything's gray, speechless without anything to say, how could you do this to me? And now with tears in my eyes, as I lay here in bed, now I know, that the book is different from another I read, don't judge a book by the cover, otherwise, you might go under, you don't know what you're getting into, oh-oh-oh, don't judge a book by the cover, otherwise, you might discover, everything is different than you expected, so listen to what your heart says. Yeah, dig a little deeper, see which message they convey, yeah, find yourself a keeper, before you let them take you away, yeah, there's so many different covers, so many books upon the shelf, but the only thing that matters is the story that it tells me, baby, now I wipe the tears from my eyes, and find someone new instead, there's no point in looking back on a cover I once read, baby, don't judge a book by the cover, otherwise, you might go under, you don't know what you're getting into, oh-oh-oh, don't judge a book by the cover, otherwise, you might discover, everything is different than you expected, so listen to what your heart says. _"

**That night, the mini-Loonakids were under covers on the couch, dressed as babies.**

_**All: It used to be that no one knew  
**__**Except a very, very few  
**__**Jack: Brenda…  
**__**Kelly: Austin…  
**__**Sarah: Chris, Macy…  
**__**Michael: Mad…  
**__**Ryan: Not to mention a few…guys that were bad…**_

**They all look at him.**

_**Benny: I think that's it, don't mean to make a fuss  
**__**Nadine: But now everyone knows about us…**_

_A few days later…_

Jack was on the phone with Brenda while he ate breakfast. "Yes, Brenda, I am doing fine. I'm having pancakes right now." He took a bite out of his…not pancakes, bacon. "'Why is it crunchy?'"

"And what happened to the bacon?" asked Duck.

"Dad!" Jack hissed. He turned back to his cell. "Uh, he's talking about…Kevin Bacon. The guy who brought dance to a small town in the classic movie _Footloose_."

Duck looked at him. "No, I'm talking about _the_ bacon that was right there."

"Uh…that's our name for Kevin. _The_ Bacon. It's just a thing we say—yes, I'll eat better." He hung up. "You couldn't be quiet for 10 seconds?!" He looked at Tech. "Why did you have to reinforce our phones so much?!"

Duck sighed and got up. "I'm gonna go see how Wendy's doing with the kids. And you better not touch my blueberry pancakes or I'll kick you—WHOA!"

Kelly walked into the room in her pajamas. She was a mess. "Oh, please. You've looked worse." She walked over to the table.

"Let me guess," said Ryan, "Now that everyone knows who we are, you feel obligated to sleep in?"

"Exactly. Oh, and don't mind if I do."

"Do what?"

She snatched his plate of chocolate chip pancakes. "Do this." She started devouring them.

"There's a fresh stack right there!"

"Yeah, but they're blueberry. These are chocolate chip." She kept eating. Which spilled syrup on her shirt. Which she promptly began to lick off.

_SNAP!_

Lexi looked around. Nothing. Kelly's half-Vampire ears hadn't even picked that up. Maybe it was nothing. She went back to eating. She then stopped. "Mail's here."

"I wonder if your acceptance letter from Acme Tech came in yet," Sarah told her sister.

"Let's go check, why don't we?" Kelly pulled her off. The other kids followed. They raced down the stairs and outside as fast as they could and Kelly got the mail. "OK, Mom, Dad, Mom, Dad, me! From Acme Tech!" She instantly started opening it.

"Oh, come on, come on, come on…" Nadine pleaded to the heavens.

Kelly pulled out the letter. "I'M IN!"

All four girls did the happy dance again.

All nine of them got wrapped up in a hug.

Then a bunch of paparazzi came up.

"Not good!" Kelly cried. She instantly started trying to go back inside but the door wouldn't open. She hit the PA. "Dad! You locked the door! Let us in!"

_"Alright. Just let me put in the code…uh…"_

"You forgot the code, didn't you?" Kelly asked.

"I'm sure he wrote it down somewhere," said Michael.

_"Right, of course I did! And it's right over…"_

"You forgot where you wrote it down, didn't you?" Lucy demanded.

_"I'll find it!"_

All nine kids groaned as Kelly started shielding herself from the cameras with the mail.

Suddenly… "Grab the ladder, kids!"

"That sounds like Aunt Rita," said Sarah.

Just then, a ladder dropped.

Kelly smiled. "It is Aunt Rita!" She started gesturing to the others to get onto the ladder. "Aunt Rita! What are you doing?!"

"Saving your tails!" Rita yelled back, leaning out the window of her helicopter, "And looking good doing it!"

Kelly smiled and finally grabbed onto the end of the ladder.

"Hold on!" Rita pulled up and the ladder was lifted from the ground and the kids taken off.

_A few hours later…_

The gang was now collected with Patrick, Rita, Sebastian, and Nellie, going over the tabloids that had already shown up.

Tabitha jumped out of a portal in the hall and raced into the room. "Kelly! I just got your aunts' message. What happened?"

"Relax, Aunt Rita saved me," said Kelly, "Just not exactly in time. Or the right way." She showed her a picture of the nine kids on the helicopter ladder labeled _"Up, up, and oh vey!"_

"Oof," Tabitha said.

"Believe it or not, it gets worse," said Ryan.

"Oh, come on," said Nellie, "How could it get—" She looked at the headline he was holding up. "Oh my."

Kelly snatched it and gasped.

_"Starving star eats own shirt"_

"They're in the house!"

Rita glared at her. "Don't be ridiculous! They're not in the house! _That_ was shot through _that_ window from the roof of the building down the street with a high-power, snapshot, flash-adjustable camera with 4500mm zoom lens preferably used at high altitudes or underwater."

Everyone stared at her.

Then Sarah's eyes widened. "That means they could be ANYWHERE!" She pushed her sister down. "Stay low!" She raced up to the window. "And watch the goofy faces!" She closed the shades…doing a quick pose first.

Tabitha pulled Kelly aside. "Relax, Kelly. It'll cool down soon. I was once in the same situation when I decided to entertain some mortals with a top-selling album back in the '50's."

"And when did your kick wear off?"

Tabitha opened her mouth to answer but hesitated.

"I'm guessing it didn't."

"Well, it's only been 40 mortal years. Give it time!"

Kelly smiled. "Maybe it'll cool down after tomorrow. The team's been booked for a TV interview."

_Tomorrow morning…_

"I'm here with the Loonakids who recently revealed their big secret," said the TV host, "How you guys doing?"

Robert just sunk in his seat.

"He's camera shy," Lucy said, "Which is weird because he's a photographer."

Kelly sighed. "Well, things have been a little wild around here but everything's working out for now. Of course, we could live without the paparazzi. I'm just saying."

The host nodded. "Well, let's take some calls from the viewers." He hit a button on the phone. "Diana from Acme New Jersey, you're on."

_"You ought to be ashamed of yourselves."_

"Huh?" Sarah asked in confusion.

_"My daughter idolized you and now you do this?!"_

"What?" Benny asked, "Save the world? All we did this time was tell the truth!"

_"Too little, too late! How am I supposed to teach my kids about honesty when their heroes are nothing but liars?!" *Beep…*_

"You wouldn't have this problem with Superman! It's not like it was _hurting _anyone, we were protecting our family keeping the secret!"

"Don't worry, kids, some parents are just a little overprotective," the host said, "It's not like she's a child psychologist…like Dr. Bart Lynch from Acme Virginia! You're on the air."

_"Kids, I just wanna say, you've been very brave coming out in the open with this."_

"Thank you, doctor!" Michael snapped smugly.

_"Unfortunately, it may prove catastrophic for children everywhere."_

"Heh?"

_"Well, the Loonakids were a symbol to the people of heroes. One of the standards they stood for is that they could be anyone so anyone could be a hero. But, let's face it…how do I put this in a way you'll understand?…you killed them."_

The host quickly hung up. "Wow. People hate you."

"We weren't trying to hurt anyone when we did this, it just happened!" Kelly said.

"Kind of makes you feel like you made a mistake when you hit that button, doesn't it?"

"Well…" She then started tearing up. "I don't know."

"Oh, no, pull it together, sweetie, you're here for the whole hour!"

Kelly just looked at him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kelly was now lying on the couch, pouting.

Sophie stroked her to keep her calm. "Come on, sweetie, it wasn't that bad."

"Oh, really? Tell that to Carly Meyers from Acme Texas, who HATES ME!"

Rita stormed up. "Kelly Coyote, I am not gonna let you lie on this couch, drowning in self pity for the rest of your life and miss seeing your new cousins."

"Aunt Rita, I'm not—what?"

Tech looked at his sister for a second. "You're pregnant?!"

Rita nodded, smiling widely as she put her hand on her womb. "Two months now."

"Does Sebastian know?"

"He's the one who found out first. I figured you guys ought to know, but I was hoping to tell you under better circumstances."

"Uh…guys?" Wendy then came in with a laptop and placed it on the table.

_"So what you're saying, doctor," the TV host was saying to the child psychologist, "is that if this is the Loonakids…" He held up a picture of the team. "…and this is the hearts of children everywhere…" He held up a picture of a heart. "…then this is what Kelly Coyote has done." He put the two pictures over each other and tore them both apart in one swipe. "Join me tomorrow when our guest will be Becky Evans, founder of MAL—Mothers Against the Loonakids."_

"Enough of this!" Sophie slammed the laptop shut. "We can't put up with this. We've gotta get back out into the world! Go bowling, pizza, movies—something!"

"Right!" Kelly said, "Let's go to the place where everyone hates us. Or that place where everyone hates us. Or we can go to the place with the really good cinnamon pretzels…where everbody hates us!"

"Guys, you can't let fear rule your life, especially with jobs like yours!" Nellie snapped, "You need to get out there and show everyone that you're still as much in the biz as ever and not gonna quit keeping this world safe any time soon."

"Got that right!" Ace said.

"I mean, take your parents here for example. They never let it get in their way."

"Nuh-uh!"

"I'll bet you they'd go out there in two seconds if they were needed!"

"Uh-uh!"

"Did you just 'uh-uh' me?!"

"Yeah-huh! We're not going out there again!" Ace crossed his arms at them, Lexi, Tech, Rev, Duck, and Slam taking his side.

"Oh, so you're one of those 'do as I say, not as I do' daddies?" Lucy snapped.

"Hey! Don't you 'do-daddy' me!"

"Forget it, people!" Kelly cried, "We're not going out there again now! And clearly we're not alone on that." She then stormed off to her room.

_That night…_

The kids were now arranged in the living room, watching TV.

Nellie, Patrick, Rita, and Sebastian then came in with the triplets and joined them on the couch.

"We can't find the others," said Patrick.

"Where could they be?" Sarah asked as she changed the channel.

Suddenly, a breaking news broadcast appeared onscreen.

_The newscaster was panicking as he watched the live footage of what was going on downtown. "Breaking news! A terrifying monster is attacking the downtown area even as we speak! The Loonakids are nowhere to be found—wait…is that what I think it is? It is! The Loonatics are coming to the fight!"_

They all froze.

_Sure enough, they recognized the six suited vigilantes working to tear apart the monster._

"Found them," Patrick commented.

_Downtown…_

The Loonatics fought like crazy. Ace and Lexi respectively laser-blasted and brain-blasted the monster. Duck threw all the eggs he could. Slam threw tornadoes. Tech threw everything metal. Rev circled the monster to distract it and draw fire to the concrete he ran over instead of the innocent bystanders.

Suddenly, the monster actually hit Rev—not hard enough to injure him, just knock him over. Then got a hit in on Tech.

Tech landed on the sidewalk.

"You OK?"

"Fine, just—" He looked at the person who'd said so and smiled. "Hey, Kelly."

"What are you doing here?" Kelly asked her father as she helped him up.

Tech just smiled again. "We've been telling the people we love not to let fear run your life. About time we started living by our own words."

Kelly smiled back. "Are we too late to help out?"

"Never. Come on." He led her back into the fight.

The two teams set to working together.

"Alright," Ace said, "Rev, Slam, keep it distracted."

"Nadine," Benny said, "Michael, Ryan, search for weak spots."

"Tech, Duck, keep them covered."

"Lucy, Robert, Sarah, try to subdue it."

"Lex, you and I are gonna take it out."

"Kelly, Jack, and I keep watch and keep innocents out of the way."

"GO!" both leaders cried.

And everyone set to work on the fight.

Rev and Slam circled it to keep it distracted. Lucy, Robert, and Sarah used their powers in every way necessary to keep it down. Kelly, Jack, and Benny kept innocents off the streets. Nadine, Michael, Ryan, Tech, Duck, Ace, and Lexi just bought their time…until…

Nadine noticed something… "HIT IT UNDER THE HEAD!"

Ace and Lexi quickly went with the plan.

It worked. The monster's head was severed and it turned to goo. Which, unfortunately, exploded all over Jack and Duck.

"That figures," Jack groaned.

"Some welcome back," Duck groaned.

The two teams landed and reveled in their victory. They were back in business.

**THE END…?  
****WAIT!**


	9. Bonus Chapter 1

Bonus Chapter 1

Austin was sitting on the couch in the living room, reading.

Ryan snatched the book.

"Hey!"

Ryan threw it at him.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, had to snap you out of it."

He looked at him.

"I know you and Kelly got back together, but you had a fight and I know it got you all upset but that's no reason to just sit there and sulk."

"I wasn't sulking! …I was brooding." He grabbed the book back. "Look, your sister is always gonna be a part of me and that's never gonna change, but she's human and I'm…not. And that's also never gonna change."

"Yeah, but I know her. And there's always some sort of…conversation where you have to 'work things out.'"

Kelly pushed her brother aside. "You know me all too well."

"I'm gonna leave you two alone." Ryan left. He walked downstairs to meet the others. "They're talking. We may have enough time to catch the director's cut of _Titanic_."

Austin was talking. "…and I'm sorry if I made the wrong decision at the time but I wasn't sure how to handle it and then things got all messed up and…"

Kelly sighed. "I get it. It's just…when you're around, whether I see you or not, I feel you. Not just with my powers but inside and…it hurts me when you're not there…because I love you too much. And I guess it's better if we try to work things out…but maybe we should just stick to the plan. Keep our distance for a few hours a day at least just to let our new lives settle in and eventually, we may be able to…"

"Forget?" Austin asked.

She half-smiled. "Right. So I guess I'd better go and, you know, start forgetting."

Before she could leave, a giant green demon in battle armor slammed through the window.

Austin, trying to stay out of the sunlight, immediately rushed to fight it, but it kicked him, throwing him onto the table in the kitchen.

"Austin!" Kelly cried. She Vamped and raced for the demon and punched it in the face. It knocked her back in return.

Lexi heard the fight from the lobby. "Sounds like they're hitting each other."

Ryan glared at her. "Yeah, they had a big break up scene and now they're 'working things out' when both are at least partially Vampires? I think they're gonna be going through the fight phase for at least the next 10 minutes. It's better we leave them alone." He pulled her off.

Austin got knocked into the wall by the demon.

Kelly quickly moved to kick it and knocked its sword out of its hands, but it improvised and grabbed her by the neck with both hands, starting to choke her.

Austin reacted instantly and grabbed the dropped sword and threw it at the demon.

The demon dropped Kelly onto Austin upon the sword's impact and grabbed the sword and jumped out the window and into a sewer grate.

Kelly saw this and then got up from the floor and helped up Austin. "Friend of yours?"

"Never seen it before."

"Then that was rude. We should go kill it."

"I'm free."

The two walked off.

_10 minutes later…_

The two canines were now plopping through the sewers.

"It's heading toward the ocean," said Austin.

Kelly looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"It's wounded. I can smell its blood."

"Oh. Right. Handy skill." She kept walking. "Maybe if my family hadn't just run off as soon as we started talking, they could've helped us at least with some research. Find out what this thing is and why it wants to kill us." She then heard something and turned around, holding up a stake.

Austin looked at the rodent walking by. "It's just a rat."

She looked at him.

"Which means you can put that thing down."

She let down her stake.

"It's not a Vampire. I don't know why you even brought that thing."

"I always keep one handy."

He kept on and led her to a "fork in the road."

"Are you getting anything?" Kelly asked, "'Cause all I smell is sewer."

He sniffed a wall and felt it. He examined his fingers. Demon blood. He followed the path.

"Tunnel number one it is." She followed him.

Austin suddenly stopped.

"Austin?" Kelly asked him, "You OK?"

"I feel weird."

"I know. I do, too. I mean, it's like our lives just got so complicated and we just grew apart and then I started pushing you away and I finally get you back and we get attacked by this mutant-demon-ninja-thing and wind up on the floor on top of each other and…it's just really confusing being around you sometimes—"

"No, I meant I felt weird from the demon blood."

She looked at him.

He examined his hand. "It-It's powerful."

"Oh. You know, let's just forget Kelly's little outburst like it never happened." She kept on down the sewer.

"No, it is confusing." He followed her and stopped her. "When we were apart, it hurt. All day. But I tried to live with it. But now you're right here in front of me and…no more secrets except for the whole Witch thing…and I can actually reach out and…" He took her hand, then quickly pulled away. "It's more than confusing. It's unbearable."

"But we have to bear, right? I mean, what else can we do?"

"Look, I can't give you a life or a future or anything a real girl would want—"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a 'real' girl." She kept on and came to a ladder. "What if it went up?"

"Into the day, where it knows I can't follow."

"But I can." She put away her stake and started climbing up.

"Kelly, I…"

She looked at him.

He returned her gaze. "Be careful."

She half-smiled and nodded. "I will." She left the sewers.

He kept on through them. Suddenly, the demon came out of nowhere and attacked him. He ducked out of the way, but the demon's sword still sliced his hand, cutting his palm open. He quickly grabbed the sword he'd brought and started sword-fighting the demon. Finally, he stabbed the demon in the chest and let its blood spill out as it dropped dead on the floor. He looked at his hand as the demon's blood poured onto his. Suddenly, a green light surrounded that hand and a white light surrounded his whole body. He dropped to the floor. As the light faded, he felt something beating against his chest. It was his heart! "I'm alive…"


	10. Bonus Chapter 2

Bonus Chapter 2

The gang came back into the living room and saw the mess the demon's fight with Kelly and Austin had made.

"Boy, when they fight…" Nadine started.

"Oh, no." Wendy raced over to the couch and knelt down in front of it. "She killed him!" She swept up the dust in her hand. "Oh, no, wait, that's just dust. I forgot to sweep up in here."

"What, are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Sophie cried.

"Hey, don't blame me if you guys are too lazy to hire a cleaning lady!" Wendy snapped.

Sophie groaned.

Austin walked in.

Wendy noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong? What happened? Did you two do something?"

Daniella knew something was up and walked over to him.

"I wouldn't get too close if I were you, Danni!" Wendy informed her sister.

"Wait a minute," Sarah said, "You just walked in from the street. In broad daylight! That means—"

"You got an umbrella!" Wendy guessed.

"He's alive…" Daniella figured out.

Michael looked at her. "What?"

Austin walked into the sunlight. No smokes, no flames, no nothing. "Kelly and I were attacked by some kind of demon…" Daniella walked over to him. "…I tracked it, killed it…" She took his wrist. "…some of its blood mixed with mine…"

"And you wound up with a pulse."

"We've gotta find out what kind of demon it was—ow! My back…it hurts…"

"Everything's more real? Now that you're human?"

"Yeah…I'm mortal now…and…" He realized something. "I am so hungry!" He raced for the kitchen and started emptying the fridge.

"He's eating everything in sight!" Wendy ducked under the couch.

Daniella pulled her up.

Austin was devouring what was left of a sandwich. "Oh, I forgot how good everything tastes when you're alive."

"Yeah, they didn't even have chocolate overload ice cream in your day," said Lucy, her eyes widened.

Austin looked at her. "Oh, I want some. Can you get that?"

"It'll go straight to your thighs."

Austin didn't listen. He was too busy on the chocolate. "Oh! I love chocolate." He stopped. "Ugh…but not, as it turns out, yogurt."

"AUSTIN!" Daniella intervened.

Austin stopped.

"We need to focus here, try to figure out what's going on. We're in a situation here. Vampires are not supposed to just come back to life."

"Right. There's a reason this happened. We gotta figure it out. Sarah, your sister's on the South Side, searching for the demon. You've gotta find her and tell her I killed it." Sarah nodded and started off. "Wait." She stopped. "Don't tell her what's happened to me. Not till I know what it means." Sarah considered this but still walked off.

_20 minutes later…_

Daniella was going through a book.

Austin pointed at a picture. "That's it."

"Called a Mohra demon. Some kind of demonic assassin, soldier of darkness kind of thing."

Austin paced, listening to what she had to say.

"They take out warriors for our side like you and Kelly and us…"

He looked at her.

"Needs vast quantities of salt to live."

"It was headed toward salt water."

"Yet salt still blinds it, like Goblins. Quite contradictory. Aha! 'Veins run with the blood of eternity.' There it is! Its blood has regenerative properties. When it mixed with yours, it brought you back to life."

Just to test her theory, Austin looked in the nearest mirror…and saw himself in it. "That explains what happened to me…but it doesn't explain why."

"What difference does it make?" asked Wendy, "Demon's dead, you're alive. Now's party time!"

"What's going on here?" asked Austin.

"I don't know," said Daniella, "I thought these ruling creatures…the Powers That Be. I thought they were the only ones who could do something like this…" She inspected her book. "…and if the description fits properly…they're also the ones giving Kelly her visions." Everyone looked at her.

"And they could've done this?" asked Austin, "How come I get the feeling that you guys aren't telling me everything?"

"'Cause I'm not," said Daniella, "'Cause I don't _know_ everything. We're _all_ on a need-to-know basis here."

"Well, I'd say this is something I need to know. What, am I a normal guy now? Can I have a normal life? I need to speak to the Powers That Be."

Daniella imitated a buzzer. "Wrong answer. You can't speak to them. Not only are they on a higher plane of existence… The Oracles." She smiled. "That's it. Remember the Oracle who told us how to cure Kelly when Tiara zapped her? If we can contact her benefactors, we can at least indirectly speak to the Powers That Be. But, uh…the benefactor Oracles are a little more…troubling than the normal Oracles… Let's just say that if they turn you into a toad, don't say I didn't warn you."

Austin looked at her.

_A while later…_

Daniella was setting up a spell. "Now, look, these Oracles are finicky and unpredictable. If you do get in, don't dilly-dally, ask your questions, and get out!"

"So no one's coming with me?"

"You're the main warrior here. Kelly's the messenger. The rest of us are your sidekicks as far as they see it. However, if we do this right…" She pulled out a book and read from it. "'We beseech access to the knowing ones.'" She put up the book and got out some essence of violet. "…we may just survive." She poured out the potion on her spell set-up and a blindingly-glowing white portal appeared. "You're up!"

Austin walked into the portal. He appeared in a white brick chamber.

A man and woman, dressed in toga-like outfits and sporting oddly marked skin, appeared before him.

"Come before us, lower being," said the male.

"What have you brought us?" asked the female.

Austin looked at them. "Was I supposed to—"

"You come before us and bring no offering?" asked the male.

Austin thought about that and noticed the watch on his wrist. He took it off. "Brought you this."

The female held out her hand and the watch flew into it. "I like time. There's so little yet so much of it."

"Well, what's happened to me?" asked Austin.

The female looked at her companion as she began to pace around the room. "It's true then, brother."

The male began to pace in the opposite direction. "He's no longer a warrior."

"It was the demon's blood," Austin explained, "It wasn't the Powers That Be that did this?"

"The Powers That Be?" asked the male, "Did you save humanity? Avert the apocalypse?"

"You faced a Mohra demon, life goes on," said the female.

"My life as a human? I'm not poisoned or under some spell…?"

The female looked upon the bricks at the top of the wall and waved her hand. "The auguries say 'no.' If it has happened, it was meant to be."

"From this day," said the male, "you live and die, as any mortal man."

"Privy to all the attendant pains and pleasures."

"That which we serve is no longer that which you serve. You are released from your fealty."

The Oracles walked off.

Austin stared after them. "That's it? I'm free?"

The male waved his hand.

Austin was shot out of the portal and he landed on the triplets. He quickly scrambled up.

"It didn't work?" asked Daniella.

"Oh, it worked alright."

"You just went in a second ago."

"What?"

"Just look at your watch," Wendy told him.

"I can't. Next time, remind me to bring a gift?"

"Oh, sorry."

"They're a little confusing, but…I think the gist of it is…it's real. I'm free."

"I can't believe it," said Sophie.

"Me either. I mean, what do I do now? I've got this whole new life spread out before me and…I don't know where to begin."

"Right, it's overwhelming. But you can pretty much do whatever you want now. So the question is…what do you want?"

Austin looked at her.

_At the beach…_

Kelly looked around. She'd decided to do one last sweep before going back to the tower (Sarah had already told her about the demon, this was just in case) and this was her last stop. Suddenly, she heard something coming and whirled around.

Austin came up to the beach and stepped into the light.

Kelly's eyes widened upon seeing no reaction.

Austin walked up to her.

Kelly stared at him, figuring out what had happened.

They gazed at each other for a few seconds before finally getting wrapped up in a passionate kiss.


	11. Bonus Chapter 3

Bonus Chapter 3

The gang was assembled in the lobby.

"This is ridiculous," Wendy said, "They've been up there for two and a half hours. Alone. Together."

"Wendy, he's only been human for a day," Sophie said, "They've been through all this together, don't they deserve a little happiness?"

"Oh, come on! They've got the forbidden love of all time, now he's suddenly human? I'm sure they're up there just having tea and crackers."

Ironically, that's exactly what they were doing.

Austin looked at his girlfriend. "Did you want some more?"

Kelly looked at him in return. "No, thank you."

He put down his snack. "I'm sorry I kissed you like that."

"You are?"

"But not for the kiss itself."

"Good." He looked at her. "'Cause, you know…as kisses go, I'd say it was well above average."

"Look, I think we might be asking for trouble if we suddenly started rushing into things like this. Not that I don't want to rush…I do, it's just—"

"Right. Now that you're finally human, we have a chance to rush and…you did speak to the Oracles and they told you that you were all good, but how do we know that they really speak for the Powers that are supposedly giving me my visions? I mean, they could be…pranksters or revolting or…"

"Or there could be a loophole."

"Exactly. Right, 'cause then the two of us get even deeper and there's a 'grr' moment and—"

"It would be smart to wait a while, see if this whole mortal thing takes…"

"And even if it does, things are still complicated at least for my side of the operation."

"Right, 'cause you're still a superhero. And a locally-famous singer. And I'm not sure what I am now. I don't know what my purpose is in life and I don't want to just…wedge myself into your life right before you start college. I mean, if we got married and had kids too suddenly or something, then you'd have to drop out immediately after all that trouble you went to, not to mention you still have to constantly save the world and if you had to worry about me, you might not be as focused, which makes me a liability to you—"

"Are you gonna pull out a pie chart on me now?"

He looked at her.

"'Cause I get it. It's not necessary."

"I'm not saying I don't want you—don't wanna be with you. It's just that… Look, you know how much I…"

She stared at him.

He sighed and sat down next to her. "I'm just saying that it's worth the wait to know if it's right."

She smiled at him.

"I'm afraid you're gonna get hurt again."

"Wow. You know, it's a good thing I didn't fantasize about you becoming human only about ten-zillion times or this day would've been a real let-down." She got up from her bed. "So how's this mature plan go? I call you, you call me, what?"

"And we stay in touch." He got up and approached her. "Just until we know it's safe to…rush again."

She sighed. "OK. I'd better…"

"Right, remove the temptation."

Kelly started to walk off, then turned back to look at him. "So we'll talk soon." She rested her hand on his.

He looked at it.

She looked at it.

They looked at each other.

Before they knew what they were doing, let alone could stop themselves, they were wrapped up in another kiss. They wouldn't separate and fell against the wall. Kelly jumped into his arms. They fell onto the bed, knocking off their snack tray as they worked their way under the covers, never letting go of each other.

_A half hour later…_

They were lying in the bed next to each other, looking at each other.

Kelly laid her head against her pillow. "This has to be a dream. It's too perfect."

"We still have to work stuff out—"

"I'm over that phase. That time we just spent 'talking', that was enough time apart."

"Too much."

She smiled at him and kept kissing him.

"Well, this just works out perfectly," Nadine was ranting, meanwhile, "My best friend's about to get married before me. And I'm older than her!"

"Who said they were getting engaged?" asked Sarah, "They know not to rush into things."

"Well, whatever happens, at least some of us get our perfect lives." Lexi then heard something. Her ears perked up, slightly radiating a pink light.

"What is it, Lex?" asked Ace.

"I thought I heard something. It sounded familiar…" She then realized how she'd heard that growling noise when Austin and Kelly had first been fighting the Mohra demon. "Uh oh."

"What?"

"We've got trouble."

Meanwhile, Kelly lay her head on Austin's chest. "It's a good sound. Thump, thump. Thump, thump."

"It feels pretty amazing."

"I'm so glad we didn't try to ration ourselves out of this. We'll make it work, right?"

"We will."

She sighed. "I'm so tired. But I still want…"

"What? You couldn't possibly—not that I wouldn't—"

"No, I'm spent. Pleasantly numb as it is. No, I just want to stay awake so this day can keep happening."

"Just sleep. We can make another one like it tomorrow." He kissed her.

She smiled at him. "You know…this is the first time I've ever really felt this way."

"What way?"

She leaned against him. "Just like I've always wanted to. Like a normal girl. Asleep in the arms of her normal boyfriend. It's perfect."

As she drifted off, Austin heard something. He got up and met the others in the hall.

Daniella pulled him aside. "We've got a problem, man. That Mohra demon regenerated itself!"

"What?"

"Lexi heard it rising. I did a revealing spell, it showed it in some kind of factory and I thought I smelled salt."

"Yeah, it needs salt to live…"

"So what are we gonna do?"

Austin considered this and sighed. "I'm gonna have to kill it again."

Daniella blinked and stopped him. "No, no, no, no, no. See, this thing nearly tore you in half when you were a Vampire and now you're gonna take it on as a human?"

Wendy started nodding towards Kelly's room. "Maybe it would be better if we brought in something a little more supernatural?"

Austin looked through the door at Kelly asleep in her bed.

"Come on, tell me you don't wanna wake the girl."

Austin shook his head. "Not for the world." He walked off.

_At a factory…_

The gang (except Jack and Kelly) were walking through a factory searching for the demon.

Daniella was reading a book. "Oh, man. Every time it comes back, it comes back bigger and stronger."

"Maybe we should go get Kelly or Brenda—" Tech started.

Austin stopped him. "We can do this, guys. If things are gonna work out with me and Kelly, I've gotta be able to do this on my own. I can't keep risking her life every time some minion of hell—Danni, just tell me how kill it!"

"Uh…'to slay the beast, one must bring darkness to the 1,000 eyes.'"

"Funny, I only saw two."

"Well, that's the confusing thing about these books. But if we have a chance—"

Austin stopped walking and stumbled back at what he saw.

A few workers lay in a bloody heap on the floor.

"Easy, man," Duck tried to calm him down.

"The blood…"

"It's never an easy sight," Wendy said, "Part of being human."

"I'm gonna kill this thing."

They kept on, Ace and Austin holding their swords at the ready.

"Just remember," said Wendy, "It's big, it's mean, it's vicious, it's brutal, it's deadly, and it's—here!"

They all followed her gaze up just in time to see the demon jump at them.


	12. Bonus Chapter 4

Bonus Chapter 4

The Mohra demon knocked Duck and Wendy into the wall.

Ace and Austin started to fight it off, but it just knocked Austin to the floor and launched Ace into a pile of boxes.

Austin grabbed his sword and started fighting the Mohra demon. He moved to hack it, but it punched him in the face. He prepared to pierce it, but it grabbed him and tossed him over its shoulder. He move to pick his sword back up but the demon stepped on it and pushed him into a pillar. He started to run off.

_Back at the tower…_

Kelly came in the living room, looking around. "Austin?"

Jack was there. "Nope, just me."

"Hey, Jack," Kelly said, disappointedly.

"I'm fine, actually, how are you?"

"Sorry. Did Austin leave a message about where he went or something?"

Jack said nothing.

Kelly walked over to him. "If you know where he is, can't you just tell me?"

"He told me not to tell you." He then realized how that statement might give up his position and covered his mouth.

"Is he in trouble?"

Jack just looked at her.

Kelly pulled him up from the couch. "Jack, what are we, in second grade here? Just tell me!"

"Look, you want to talk about being mature? Maybe you need to grow up and realize that you can't have everything. You can't have your perfect boyfriend and save the world. In fact, it's your fault that he went to fight that thing without—" He then realized what he'd said.

Kelly stared at him. "What thing?"

_Back at the factory…_

Austin ran from the demon, now alone.

The demon knocked him over onto a wood platform. It moved to chop him with its sword, but instead, let both of them fall through the wood and into the tiny cavern beneath.

Austin started to get up.

The demon got up and stepped on him, pinning him to the ground. "The end of days has begun and can't be stopped," it spoke in a dark and raspy voice. It lifted its sword. "For every one of us that falls, ten shall rise."

Kelly fell through the hole in the floor, landing on her feet by the demon, and knocked the sword from its hands. She held up the Guardian Strike Sword (she'd found the others on her way in and, unable to wake any of them up, grabbed Ace's sword). "You hurt my boyfriend!"

The demon grabbed its sword and held it up. "A great darkness is coming."

"Got that right." She engaged him in a sword fight. She knocked him into the wall. "Come on, this is the great warrior of darkness?" Suddenly, the demon knocked her into the wall.

It walked over to her and grabbed her by the throat, holding her to the wall. "Together, you are powerful. Alone, you are dead!"

Austin grabbed some salt from the floor.

The demon cackled. "What do you think of the great warrior now?"

"Little bland."

It turned to look at Austin.

Austin got up. "Needs salt." He threw the salt in the demon's eyes, producing the blinding effects and making it drop its hold on Kelly. He started to help Kelly up.

The demon knocked Austin out of the way and grabbed Kelly again.

She kicked it, making it drop her again. She picked the Sword back up and started to fight it.

Austin then noticed something… "1,000 eyes… The jewel in his forehead! You have to smash the jewel!"

Kelly jabbed the sword into the demon's forehead, breaking the ruby-like jewel stuck to it.

The demon fell against the wall and slowly dissipated as a blindingly-bright red light encompassed him and finally took him away.

Kelly knelt down next to Austin and rested his head on her leg.

"Kelly, are you…" he groaned.

She shushed him. "It's alright. It's OK. He's gone. You're safe. And we're together."

_A few hours later…_

Austin emerged in the Oracles' sanctuary.

The female walked forward. "What have you brought me?"

Austin held up a red vase. "Famille rose vase. Ching dynasty." He threw it at her and she caught it perfectly. "Circa 1811."

"Why are you here, lower being?" asked the male.

"The Mohra demon said the end of days had begun," Austin explained, "That others were coming, soldiers of darkness. I need to know if he was telling the truth."

"As far as such things can be told," the male answered.

"And what happens to the half-Vampire and her family when these soldiers come?"

"What happens to all mortal beings," said the female, "Albeit, sooner in their case."

"She'll die?"

"They all will."

"Then I'm here to beg for their lives."

"It is not our place to grant life and death," the male said. He started to lead the female off.

"And ask you to take mine back."

The Oracles stopped and faced him.

"I can't protect her or anyone this way, not as a man."

"You're asking to be what you were?" asked the female, "A demon with a soul? Because of a half-breed?"

"This is a matter of love," said the male, "It does not concern us."

"Yes, it does!" Austin quickly debated, "The Mohra demon was sent to take out a warrior of your cause. He succeeded. I'm no good to you like this. And I want to make this right. Please."

"What is done cannot be undone," said the male.

"But what is not yet done can be avoided," said the female.

"Temporal folds are not to indulge the whims of lower beings."

"You are wrong! This one is willing to sacrifice every drop of human happiness and love he's known for another and her family. He is not a lower being."

Austin smiled.

The male considered. "There is one way. But it is not to be taken lightly."

"We swallow this day," said the female, "as if it never happened. All 24 hours from when the demon first attacked you, we take it back."

Austin thought about that. "That means that…this never happened…Kelly and I… What will stop us from doing the exact same thing?"

"You. You and you alone will carry the memory of this day. Can you bear that burden?"

_Later…_

Kelly was pacing in her room.

Austin walked in and closed the door behind him. He looked at her, sadly.

"I'm guessing that expression isn't because they were all out of fresh OJ at the deli."

He kept looking at her.

She stopped smiling. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened." Austin walked over to her bed. He sighed. "I just…"

"Where have you been?"

"I went to see the Oracles…to ask them to turn me back."

"What? Why?"

"Because now more than ever, I know how much I love you."

"No. No, you didn't." She started to leave.

He stopped her. "If I stay a mortal, one of us will wind up dead, maybe both of us _and _your family. Just like Mohra said."

"Mohra is gone. We killed him!"

"And eventually more will come."

"They always come! And they always will! But that's our problem now, not yours!"

"No. I won't stand aside and let you fight and die alone."

"Then we'll fight together!"

"You saw what happened this morning. If anything, I'm a liability to you. You take chances to protect me. And that's not just bad for you, it's bad for the people we were meant to help."

"So what? You just took a whole 24 hours to weigh the ups and downs of being an average Joe and decided it was more fun being a superhero?!"

"You know that's not it. How can we be together if the cost is your life? …Or the lives of others?"

She sniffed, holding back tears.

He hugged her. "I couldn't tell you. I wasn't sure if I could do it and I woke up and you weren't there one morning."

"So what happens now?"

"The Oracles are giving us back the day. So I can kill Mohra before his blood makes me human."

She looked in his eyes. "When?"

He looked at her clock. "Less than a minute."

"A minute?! No! No, it's not enough time!"

"I know…"

"How am I supposed to go on with my life knowing what we could have had together?"

"You won't. I'm the only one that's gonna remember. It'll be like it never even happened—"

"No! It did. It did, I know it did." She put her hand on his chest. "I felt your heart beat."

"Kelly…"

They looked at each other and wrapped up in a long and passionate kiss.

Kelly finally pulled away and looked at the clock. 15 seconds. "No! No, it's not enough time!" She burst into tears.

He held her close. "It's OK…" He almost started crying with her.

"I'll never forget…I'll never forget…I'll never forget…"

Suddenly, Austin was back in the living room.

"…maybe it's best if we just stick to the plan."

He looked at Kelly.

"Keep our distance at least for a few hours a day and once enough time is passed, we should be able to—"

"Forget…"

She looked at him. "Right."

He gazed at her.

"So, I guess I should just go and, you know, start forgetting." She started to walk off to her room.

The Mohra demon burst through the window.

Austin grabbed the book on the table. He ducked the demon's sword moves and slammed the jewel with his book.

The Mohra died again.

Kelly stared at Austin. "That was…weird. How'd you know how to kill it?"

"It's a Mohra demon. I've had a lot of time to catch up on my reading."

"Right. So, I guess we've covered it, right?"

"I guess that's all there really is to say."

"Yeah."

Austin half-smiled.

"So that's it."

Austin nodded.

Kelly walked off to her room.

Austin looked at the clock. "Yeah…that's it."

**THE END…?**

Yeah, that's it! Thanks for reading, the next one will be up tomorrow and promise: it will be much more epic. Anyway, reviews are appreciated, see you tomorrow!


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